Main content

John Boyne, writer

John Boyne, writer, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item he would take with him if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.

The Irish writer John Boyne is best known for his 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which became a literary phenomenon, selling more than 11 million copies around the world. It was translated into 60 languages and adapted into a film, a play, a ballet and an opera. He has written more than two dozen books, including a number of titles for younger readers.

He was born in Dublin in 1971, and had ambitions to become a writer from an early age. He studied English Literature at Trinity College Dublin, followed by a Master’s degree in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. From the mid-1990s, he spent seven years working at a bookshop in Dublin, while trying to launch his literary career.

Many of his books have historical settings: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is the story of two boys – one German, one Jewish – during the Holocaust; other books have taken inspiration from the Mutiny on the Bounty and Tsarist Russia. More recently, he’s addressed sexual and physical abuse within the Catholic church in Ireland, drawing in part on his own experiences at school.

He lives in Dublin, not far from where he grew up.

DISC ONE: Bright Eyes - Art Garfunkel
DISC TWO: The Sound of Music - Julie Andrews
DISC THREE: Elton's Song - Elton John
DISC FOUR: Take on Me - A-ha
DISC FIVE: Lullaby for Cain (Instrumental) - SinΓ©ad O'Connor
DISC SIX: Extract from String Quartet No. 4, composed by Noah Max and performed by The Tippett Quartet
DISC SEVEN: Make Your Own Kind of Music - Mama Cass
DISC EIGHT: Night of the Swallow - Kate Bush

BOOK CHOICE: The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot
LUXURY ITEM: A cinema screen showing The Devil Wears Prada
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Night of the Swallow - Kate Bush

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor

Available now

52 minutes

Last on

Fri 31 May 2024 09:00
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

More episodes

Previous

Dame Sarah Storey, athlete

Next

Rebel Wilson, actor

See all episodes from Desert Island Discs

Music Played

  • Art Garfunkel

    Bright Eyes

    • The Art Garfunkel Album.
    • Columbia.
    • 1.

  • Julie Andrews

    The Sound of Music

    • The Sound of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording).
    • Craft Recordings.
    • 1.

  • Elton John

    Elton's Song (Remastered 2003)

    • Jewel Box.
    • UMC (Universal Music Catalogue).
    • 10.

  • ²Ήβ€h²Ή

    Take On Me

    • Hunting High and Low (Deluxe Edition).
    • Rhino/Warner Records.
    • 1.

  • SinΓ©ad O’Connor

    Lullaby for Cain

  • Tippett Quartet

    String Quartet No. 4

  • Cass Elliot

    Make Your Own Kind of Music

    • Mama's Big Ones.
    • Geffen.
    • 3.

  • Kate Bush

    Night Of The Swallow

    • The Dreaming.
    • Noble & Brite Limited.
    • 7.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 26 May 2024 10:00
    ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
  • Fri 31 May 2024 09:00
    ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

The Desert Island Discs podcast

The Desert Island Discs podcast

Subscribe or download individual episodes.

Listen to over 2,000 programmes

Click above to browse castaways, from 1942 to today.

Articles

Read the surprising things we've learned about some stand-out castaways.

Podcast